A cool gadget.

Here's another plate from the Löffelholtz codex. http://jbc.bj.uj.edu.pl/dlibra/docmetadata?id=258834&from=publication My best guess is that this handvise is for assisting in narrowing the butt ends of the bolts so that they fit between the fingers of the nut. The bolt would fit between the jaws, and rest against the screw. You would then run a knife along the jaws from those overlapping guide "fingers" to the end of the bolt.

Voila! Perfect bolt butts, every time.

Here is a pic of the gizmo I made years ago to do the same thing. I had not seen this Löffelholtz image before a couple of days ago.... or I would have made mine differently. It really would be more convenient to use if it had a handle.

So, the big question is.... can anyone read the handwriting in the MS?

Thank you again, Rizzar! I hope you continue to be drawn back to this periodically.

I spent some time yesterday looking at other images from the MS to see if I could come to understand more of the handwriting. I can now recognize every time he wrote "das ist ein", and about a half a dozen individual words whenever they appear; but in the end, my German is so rudimentary that I did not get very far.